It’s the middle of winter and the cold weather is starting to ignite our imagination.
It can’t be just us spending a couple of minutes every day staring out of the window, watching the rain trickle cooly onto the glass, and imagining sunlit roads with Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody blasting out of car speakers. Okay, so you might not be including Slade in your daydreams, but it’s hard to get it out of our head at this time of year!
And the point still stands. This is the time of the year where everyone starts planning their summer vacations, and we’re not ashamed to admit we’ve already got one lined up. This is a summer road trip that goes through eight cities in just three weeks, found on the routeperfect website – a travel tool that uses AI powered by GPT to curate the perfect vacation.
In our opinion, it could very well be the best European tour, and we’d highly recommend considering it for your summer vacation in 2024. To explain why, we’ve listed every location involved in the trip below, as well as a few ideas on what you can do and experience while you’re there.
First Stop, London, UK
One of the best things about this trip planner is that it doesn’t try to rush through locations. It’s smart. And it knows what cities deserve a bit more time. With this in mind, this road trip starts off with a five day stay in London, giving you plenty of time to see all the sights and really get into the British spirit.
Some of the best places to visit include the usual suspects: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and the Shard. But we would recommend branching out to experience a few of London’s hidden gems, too. These include Little Venice, Primrose Hill, Neal’s Yard, the Tulip Stairs, and the wonderful Camden Market.
Second Stop, Amiens, France
After you’ve soaked up all that Britishness, it’ll be time to set your eyes across the Channel. With a drive that takes around six hours, two minutes, you’d cross through the tunnel linking England and France, and then travel 334 km to Amiens, France.
Once again, the route planner gets it right. While you need at least five days to explore London, it gives you just two nights in Amiens, which is just the right amount of time for people who want to pack several cities into a short time period. In our opinion, the best thing to experience here is the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral de Amiens, as well as the Picardy Museum and the beautiful St Leu district. During your two nights, we also suggest trying out some of the gorgeous restaurants, including L’improviste, La Baratin, and Miam’s Amiens. Just avoid the snails!
Third Stop, Paris, France
Now for the next capital city. Paris is a treasure trove of amazing architecture, great food, fun company, and a load of exciting activities. You’ll be spending four nights here, but we recommend leaving Amiens as early as possible to really stretch out that first day – the drive takes around two hours and nine minutes.
Once again, the usual suspects to visit include the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Notre-Dame Cathedral de Paris, and basically any restaurant you walk past! For lovers of history – both true and fabricated – we’d also recommend the Ghosts, Mysteries, and Legends Night Tour. This is a brilliant tour that takes you around the city at night, and it’s filled with interesting – and slightly horrifying – tidbits about its dark past.
Fourth Stop, Troyes, France
Of course, a road trip is all about being on the road, and it’s these next three stops where you’ll really feel like a motoring wanderer! After a two hour and eighteen minute drive, you’ll be spending just a single night in Troyes, where we recommend you visit one of the many Troyes cafes. Troyes is known for its cafe culture, and it offers an amazing setting to take a break, enjoy a coffee, and watch the world go by for a while.
Fifth Stop, Basel, Switzerland
That coffee will be your last in France, because you’ll spend the next day travelling across the border into the green plains of Switzerland. After a 344 km drive – which takes around four hours – you’ll stop off at Basel, where you will be spending two nights. Switzerland doesn’t take up a lot of this trip, so it’s a good idea to get a good night’s rest and wake up bright and early for the first day. Some of the experiences that we recommend includes visiting the cheese shops, the chocolate shops, trying the traditional Swiss fondue and raclette, and exploring the beautiful Basel Minster and Fine Arts Museum.
Sixth Stop, Lugano, Switzerland
Hopefully you’ve packed a few good CDs for the car, because the road trip continues with a three hour drive to Lugano, and then a 393 km drive into Italy. You’ll be staying for just one night in Lugano, but in many ways, it’s one of the most exciting destinations of the tour. You can see everything from your car window, as you’ll pass some amazing scenery including Lake Lugano, which is one of the best yachting destinations in the world, Monte San Salvatore, and Monte Bre. These are picture-postcard destinations that will take your breath away, and it’s only going to get better from there.
Seventh Stop, Florence, Italy
After that 393 km drive across the border, you’ll be parking up in Florence, Italy. This is one of the hottest tourist destinations in the country – and we mean that quite literally, because the average temperatures in Florence hit around 28 degrees every summer!
You’ll be spending a total of three nights in this location, which is just enough to experience some of the top landmarks. These include the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Ponte Vecchio. Once again, the night tours in this city are highly recommended, not only because of the fascinating stories that you’ll hear, but to see the beauty of the city streets as they light up and sparkle around you.
Final Stop, Naples, Italy
To finish off the tour, you’ll be taking a four hour and forty-five minute drive down to Naples, in Southern Italy. Here, you could stroll the incredible Spaccanapoli, eat a slice of pizza in the Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo, and even visit the lost city of Pompeii that was buried in volcanic ash all the way back in 79 AD.
In our opinion, Naples is the perfect place to finish off this tour, as you can easily have a satisfying experience in the two days that you’ll be there. It’s the worst thing to end a vacation feeling like you’ve missed out, but after your time in Naples – and all of the eight cities you’ll visit, for that matter – it’s more unlikely than Slade ending up in your road trip playlist.
